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PC Perspectivehttp://www.pcper.com/images/podcast-logo-600x600.pngenNETGEAR Announces Nighthawk X4 AC2350 Routerhttp://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/NETGEAR-Announces-Nighthawk-X4-AC2350-Router
<p>Today, NETGEAR <a href="http://netgear.com/x4">has announced the Nighthawk X4 802.11ac router</a>. It is dual-band, with up to 1733 Mbps of bandwidth (four channels of 433 Mbps) on 5.0 GHz and up to 600 Mbps (three channels of 200 Mbps) on 2.4 GHz. Compared to the Nighthawk X6, released earlier in the year, the X4 is design for fewer users who demand more performance.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/General-Tech/NETGEAR-Announces-Nighthawk-X4-AC2350-Router" class="inline-image-link" title="View: netgear-nighthawkx4-01.jpg"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2014-09-02/netgear-nighthawkx4-01.jpg" alt="netgear-nighthawkx4-01.jpg" title="netgear-nighthawkx4-01.jpg" class="pcper-inline" width="602" height="482" /></a></div></p>
<p>The first thing that stood out for me was its processor...s. The router contains two of them. Its main CPU is a dual-core Qualcomm <s>Snapdragon-based</s> (<strong>Update - Sept 2nd @ 5:20pm EDT:</strong> &quot;Snapdragon-based&quot; is unclear and misleading. It has &quot;Snapdragon DNA with dual Krait cores&quot;. It is from their Qualcomm Internet Processors (IPQ) line, as mentioned in the following sentence.) ARM processor, clocked at 1.4 GHz. It is from their <a href="https://www.qca.qualcomm.com/networking/connected-home/internet-processors/">Qualcomm Internet Processors (IPQ)</a> line, so it is not directly comparable to an SoC from their mobile line-up. NETGEAR also added a second, dualcore processor, clocked at 500 MHz, that is dedicated to deal with WiFi-related tasks as an &quot;offload&quot;.</p>
<p>The reason why I found this interesting was that, not too many years ago, routers did not advertise their processor and RAM. There was once a niche who would create their own routers out of old PCs and an x86-compatible firmware (like OpenWRT). The push was to cheap routers with high bandwidth ratings. When I asked NETGEAR at what point did the industry decide to take the internal hardware seriously, their response was that about 73% of customers are repeat buyers. They upgraded their router because they were not happy with the performance that they were getting. Users have changed. HD video is going to numerous devices all over the home at the same time as games and downloads do their thing. The extra performance is necessary to keep the potential bandwidth in line with its usage.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/General-Tech/NETGEAR-Announces-Nighthawk-X4-AC2350-Router" class="inline-image-link" title="View: netgear-nighthawkx4-02.png"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2014-09-02/netgear-nighthawkx4-02.png" alt="netgear-nighthawkx4-02.png" title="netgear-nighthawkx4-02.png" class="pcper-inline" width="602" height="311" /></a></div></p>
<p>One feature about this router that NETGEAR was promoting is Dynamic QoS. Using the extra processing power, mentioned in the two paragraphs above, the device identifies applications and allocates bandwidth accordingly. One example that they gave is YouTube versus Netflix. While both stream, Netflix will only grab what it needs while YouTube will load as quickly as possible to buffer ahead. If resources are tight, and Netflix is attempting to coexist with YouTube at any given time, the router will throttle the YouTube stream to provide it with at least enough bandwidth to stream, but not buffer, like, ten times faster than real time and choke out Netflix into a lower bit rate. If necessary, it will also prioritize the larger screen (TV) with the higher bit rate Netflix connection, where it will be more noticeable (than the smaller screen of a tablet, for instance).</p>
<p>And yes, QoS has been present in routers for more than a dog&#39;s age. They claim that it is typically a feature that users turn on, dislike, then turn right back off again. They believe that their new implementation will actually win you over.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/General-Tech/NETGEAR-Announces-Nighthawk-X4-AC2350-Router" class="inline-image-link" title="View: netgear-nighthawkx4-03.jpg"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2014-09-02/netgear-nighthawkx4-03.jpg" alt="netgear-nighthawkx4-03.jpg" title="netgear-nighthawkx4-03.jpg" class="pcper-inline" width="602" height="492" /></a></div></p>
<p>The router will also feature two USB 3.0 ports and an eSATA connection. It will allow networked PC backup to an external hard drive and streaming media (photos, music, and videos) to TVs by DLNA.</p>
<p>The NETGEAR Nighthawk X4 AC2350 (R7500) is available now for $279.99.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/NETGEAR-Announces-Nighthawk-X4-AC2350-Router" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/NETGEAR-Announces-Nighthawk-X4-AC2350-Router#commentsGeneral TechNetworking802.11acmu-mimonetgearnighthawk x4Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:31:00 +0000Scott Michaud61072 at http://www.pcper.comASUS RT-AC87U Is First Wave 2 802.11ac Router Supporting MU-MIMO Technologyhttp://www.pcper.com/news/Networking/ASUS-RT-AC87U-First-Wave-2-80211ac-Router-Supporting-MU-MIMO-Technology
<p>ASUS recently launched the RT-AC87U which is the first &quot;wave 2&quot; 802.11ac wireless router to support multi user MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology. Although the initial <a href="http://www.asus.com/us/News/hE5SJg3y7bbIBIGO">launch</a> happened at the end of last month, the RT-AC87U and RT-AC87R (a variant exclusive to Best Buy) will finally be avaiable for purchase starting August 26th for around $279.99.</p>
<p>The RT-AC87U is a monster matte black router with four large external antennas and sleek fighter jet angles. I/O is mostly clustered on the rear of the router and includes four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, one GbE WAN port, and one USB 2.0 port. In addition to the rear I/O, ASUS has positioned a USB 3.0 port&nbsp;on the front of the router (specifically the right corner of the front panel hidden behind a removeable rubber port cover).</p>
<p><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/Networking/ASUS-RT-AC87U-First-Wave-2-80211ac-Router-Supporting-MU-MIMO-Technology" class="inline-image-link" title="View: ASUS RT-AC87 First Wave 2 Wireless AC Router With MU-MIMO.jpg"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2014-08-14/ASUS%20RT-AC87%20First%20Wave%202%20Wireless%20AC%20Router%20With%20MU-MIMO.jpg" alt="ASUS RT-AC87 First Wave 2 Wireless AC Router With MU-MIMO.jpg" title="ASUS RT-AC87 First Wave 2 Wireless AC Router With MU-MIMO.jpg" class="pcper-inline" width="602" height="524" /></a></div></p>
<p>On the wireless front, the RT-AC87U and RT-AC87R supports the latest 802.11ac and newer <a href="http://www.pcper.com/category/tags/wireless-router">256QAM (600Mbps)</a> 802.11n specification as well as legacy 802.11g/b/a Wi-Fi networks. The router supports simultaneous dual band operation, which results in maximum throughput of 1.73 Gbps on the 5GHz 802.11ac band (4 x 433 Mbps streams) and 600 Mbps on the 2.4GHz 802.11n band.</p>
<p>The new and interesting bit about the RT-AC87 is the MU-MIMO support. MU-MIMO, which stands for Multi-User Multple Input Multiple Output, is the evolution of MIMO technology which debuted with wireless N routers. The ASUS router is able to use multiple anntennas to communicate with a client device to increase bandwidth. Beamforming is used to focus the signal in the direction of the client to get better range and a stronger signal for that specific client. MU-MIMO builds on this technology by allowing the router to track, beamform, and employ multiple transmit and recieve antennas to <strong>talk to&nbsp;multiple clients simultaneously</strong>. Previously, routers were limited to communicating with a single client at a time (see the diagram below for an example).</p>
<p><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/Networking/ASUS-RT-AC87U-First-Wave-2-80211ac-Router-Supporting-MU-MIMO-Technology" class="inline-image-link" title="View: SU-MIMO-compared-to-MU-MIMO.png"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2014-08-14/SU-MIMO-compared-to-MU-MIMO.png" alt="SU-MIMO-compared-to-MU-MIMO.png" title="SU-MIMO-compared-to-MU-MIMO.png" class="pcper-inline" width="602" height="410" /></a></div></p>
<p>Multi-User MIMO will benefit those users that choose to connect the majority of their networked devices via Wi-Fi. However, the technology will be especially noticeable in areas flooded with various Wi-Fi networks such as apartments. According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6TMBKHZSnc">Matthew Gast</a> of Aerohive Networks, MU-MIMO will allow all wireless clients to get an acceptable data rate in crowded wireless areas at the expense of being able to deliver the highest data rate to a single client device. Especially when competing Wi-Fi networks are involved and fighting for channels, MU-MIMO will shine at keeping devices connected and talking to the access point.&nbsp;</p>
<p>ASUS has chosen the Quantenna <a href="http://www.pcper.com/news/Networking/New-Quantenna-QSR1000-Chip-Will-Power-80211ac-Devices-Delivers-17Gbps-Throughput">QSR100 chipset</a> to handle the 802.11ac duties while a Broadcom BCM4709 chipset handles the 256QAM wireless N bands. Additionally, the RT-AC87 routers have 128MB of flash memory and 256MB of DDR3 RAM. According to ASUS, the router draws slightly over 45W.</p>
<p>On the software side of things, ASUS has chosen its own ASUSWRT firmware which includes parental controls, Time Machine backup support, VPN support, security software from TrendMicro (AiProtection), and AiCloud 2.0. USB support includes storage sharing as well as 3G/4G cellular modem internet connectivity.</p>
<p>In all, the ASUS RT-AC87U looks to be new home router champion packing quite a bit of hardware and leading the charge of Wave 2 802.11ac wireless routers. This all comes at a cost, however. The RT-AC87U and RT-AC87R will be available on August 26 with a MSRP of $269.99 and <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320208&amp;cm_re=rt-ac87-_-33-320-208-_-Product">e-tail prices</a> currently around $279.99.</p>
<p>For all the nitty-gritty details, check out this <a href="http://pcdiy.asus.com/2014/08/august-2014-the-best-802-11ac-router-rt-ac87u-rt-ac87r/">ASUS PCDIY blog post</a>!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pcper.com/news/Networking/ASUS-RT-AC87U-First-Wave-2-80211ac-Router-Supporting-MU-MIMO-Technology" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.pcper.com/news/Networking/ASUS-RT-AC87U-First-Wave-2-80211ac-Router-Supporting-MU-MIMO-Technology#commentsNetworking802.11acasusASUS ROGmu-mimoqsr1000rt-ac87rrt-ac87uwave 2wireless routerFri, 15 Aug 2014 03:47:15 +0000Tim Verry60916 at http://www.pcper.comNew Quantenna QSR1000 Chip Will Power 802.11ac Devices, Delivers Up To 1.7Gbps Throughputhttp://www.pcper.com/news/Networking/New-Quantenna-QSR1000-Chip-Will-Power-80211ac-Devices-Delivers-17Gbps-Throughput
<p>Quantenna, has announced a new 802.11ac QSR1000 chip that is capable of delivering up to 1.7Gbps throughput. The new chip achieves the wireless throughput by supporting a combination of Multi-User MIMO, four spatial streams, 256-QAM modulation, and beamforming technology. More information on 802.11ac and the related technologies <a href="http://www.pcper.com/category/tags/networking">can be found here</a>.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/Networking/New-Quantenna-QSR1000-Chip-Will-Power-80211ac-Devices-Delivers-17Gbps-Throughput" class="inline-image-link" title="View: qsr1000.jpg"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2013-05-28/qsr1000.jpg" alt="qsr1000.jpg" title="qsr1000.jpg" class="pcper-inline" width="235" height="157" /></a></div></p>
<p>The Quantenna chip is a competitor to Broadcom&#39;s offerings and it is intended for use in wireless routers, access points, Set Top Boxes (STB), and other consumer electronics gear. It is the first &quot;wave 2&quot; (second iteration of the 802.11ac specification) 802.11ac chip, and is the fastest so far. Quantenna was able to get a theoretical max of 435.2Mbps of throughput per spatial stream, which is pretty impressive. Unfortunately, client devices (computers, smartphones, tablets, et al) will also have to support the MU-MIMO technology and have the hardware to transmit and receive multiple streams to take full advantage of the 1.7Gbps max throughput.</p>
<p>There is no word on which upcoming wireless devices the Quantenna chip will be used in, but the company is making the new <a href="http://www.quantenna.com/qsr-1000.html">QSR1000 chip</a> available to manufacturers as early as Q3 of this year. Actual routers and other gear using the chip and widely available to consumers will likely not hit the market until early next year, however.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pcper.com/news/Networking/New-Quantenna-QSR1000-Chip-Will-Power-80211ac-Devices-Delivers-17Gbps-Throughput" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.pcper.com/news/Networking/New-Quantenna-QSR1000-Chip-Will-Power-80211ac-Devices-Delivers-17Gbps-Throughput#commentsNetworking802.11acmu-mimoqsr1000quantennawi-fiTue, 28 May 2013 19:21:23 +0000Tim Verry57356 at http://www.pcper.com